Miraculous Ladybug Ideas
by Snavej
Summary: A series of half-written pieces that I have found in my drafts folder...
1. Spying on the Neighbours

"Here, let me get that for you!" Marinette insisted as she grabbed the door. She frowned at the blonde man who was trying to make his way through into the apartment block with all of his shopping. "I don't know you. Who are you?" she added with a frown.

"Um, Adrien," he introduced as he tried to rearrange his bags in order to shake her hand. "I'm new. I moved into 113 this morning."

"Marinette," she replied, taking the outreached hand. "I'm in 112."

"Awesome," he said. "Any chance you could get the lift button?"

"It's broken," Marinette replied with a grimace. "Has been for a while."

"And the landlord hasn't fixed it?"

"Well, he had to replace all the boilers and stuff last month and so..." She trailed off and hoped he understood. Marinette glanced at all the bags Adrien was trying to carry and then checked the stairs. There was no way he was going to fit. "Here, let me carry some of that for you!"

"No, it's okay," Adrien began to insist. But Marinette all but pulled the bags out of his arms.

"My parents run a bakery, so I'm used to hauling heavy sacks of flour around," she explained as she led the way up the first flight of stairs. Marinette could hear him panting behind her so didn't try to continue the conversation. When they reached the top of the stairs, she expected him to speak, but when he didn't she led the way down the hall in silence. She stopped outside the door to apartment 113. "This is you, right?"

"Yeah, thank you so much!" Adrien said. "I didn't realise how much stuff I'd bought. It looks like a lot less in the trolley…"

"Use a basket," Marinette advised with a light laugh. "Well, if you ever need anything…" She trailed off again as she stared up into his handsome - if slightly red from exertion - face. The sheer quantity of shopping he had been carrying with him had distracted her from his own features, so Marinette now took the time to appreciate them fully. His styled hair was blond, his eyes bright green and his smile dazzling. His skin was clear and his face had a chiselled quality to it.

He could be a model, Marinette she realised she could feel her cheeks reddening, so she forced a cough and choked out a hasty, "Well, I have a cat to feed, see you round!" She turned quickly to unlock her door, trying to ignore how her voice had raised in pitch.

"Yeah, see you round!" Adrien replied cheerfully. Marinette let herself in, turned, saw he was still standing there. She forced herself to be polite and waved before slamming the door.

"Tikki, am I blushing?" Marinette moaned to the ginger cat who was perched on the kitchen counter. "Damn, why does my face do this? I work with models and nothing. Cute guy moves in across the hallway and-"

A ringing noise interrupted her soliloquy. Marinette pulled the mobile out of her back pocket and answered the call.

"Alya?"

"Girl, I need to go out this evening. I need to drink alcohol and I need to dance."

"What on earth has happened?" Marinette flopped onto her sofa, phone held to her ear.

"I have had enough of my boss," Alya moaned. "I work my butt off. I have written for the sports columns and the tiny boring little stories and everything else that no one cares about ever and then this art thief has stolen another piece and who does he let cover it? Claude. I mean seriously? He's an idiot. Does he have a best friend who knows all about art and design? No. No, he does not." Marinette made no attempt to interrupt. "And so I need to drink before I do something stupid like quitting my job."

"Alright, you've convinced me," Marinette said with a small smile. "Where do you fancy? That little bar at the end of my road?"

"Yeah, that sounds good, then I can crash at yours," Alya mumbled as a reply.

"Yeah, you might meet my new neighbour!" Marinette said before she could help herself.

"New neighbour?"

"Yeah, his name is Adrien and he lives across from me and Alya he is gorgeous."

"Now when you say gorgeous, do you just mean he would make a good model for your next male clothing piece?" Alya asked with a laugh.

"Well he would, but he was handsome too," Marinette insisted. "It's going to be so nice to have someone my own age in this apartment block. I mean I love my neighbours, they're all lovely, but still."

"You should invite him to come with us tonight! Is he new to the area?" Alya asked.

"No idea, he didn't say," Marinette admitted. "But I only just met him about a minute ago."

"Maybe next time then," Alya relented. "I'll aim to arrive at yours by seven, yeah?"

"Sure, see you later."

Marinette hung up and looked over at Tikki, who still sat on the work surface.

"I suppose we better eat then," she mumbled. Tikki only blinked those large, somehow understanding eyes.

An hour and one reheated meal later, Marinette pranced around her bedroom throwing outfits together. Tikki was pawing at items of clothing on Marinette's bed as if trying to make suggestions.

"No, the red is too bold," Marinette said before turning to ask Tikki's opinion. "Is the red too bold?"

Tikki mewed helpfully.

"I'm glad you agree." Marinette dumped the red dress and scanned her pile of clothes. Tikki pounced on a new piece of fabric and meowed again. "Pink?"

Marinette picked up the pale pink dress and held it up to her body.

"But what shoes? I don't really fancy heels." Tikki answered by jumping down from the bed and sitting next to a pair of black pumps. "Classic, I like it."

Marinette dressed and slipped on the pumps. She shoved her phone, keys, and wallet into her black Chanel bag. She'd found it second hand online and had fallen in love with it. But Marinette would never admit to Alya how much she'd paid for it because they both knew the answer: too much.

Her doorbell rang and she hurried to answer it. However, when she opened it, she found Alya was talking to a tall dark skinned man and Adrien, who was standing in his own doorway.

"Um, hi?" she said.

"Mari, this is Nino," Alya made the introduction. "He's Adrien's friend." Marinette studied the smile on her friend's face. "I was thinking we should invite them to the bar this evening if you don't mind?"

Marinette knew that smile; Alya was interested in one of them.

"Sure, let me just grab my jacket."

Five minutes later and the four young adults were walking towards the bar at the end of the road. Marinette soon realised that Alya most definitely had her eye on Nino.

"Is she always this forward?" Adrien asked her as they walked.

"Alya? Yeah I guess, she's a journalist so she's good with people," Marinette replied.

"And what do you do?" Adrien asked.

"I'm a designer of sorts. Trying to make it in the big world of fashion," Marinette said. "But most of what I do is small stuff."

"Small stuff?"

"Like fixing ripped clothes," Marinette elaborated. "Or adjusting things. Although, I had a client whose daughter would only wear dresses that had six buttons down the front, so I had to design and make a load of things for her until her daughter grew out of that phase."

"That's really cool!" Adrien said.

"Nah, the cool stuff is when kids want custom costumes," Marinette said. "I had to make a load of Disney princess dresses for one girl and then corresponding villain outfits for her father. They sent me some photos of them playing later and…" She trailed off, feeling embarrassed.

"That's really cute," Adrien said with a genuine smile. They arrived at the bar and took a seat at one of the outdoor tables. Nino offered to get them all drinks and Alya when with him to help carry them.

"So what do you do?"

"I'm a pianist," he replied. "Mostly jazz in bars or recording soundtracks for people."

"And you make a living from that? You must be really good!" Marinette was fully aware she was gushing, but she couldn't quite stop herself.

"I'll play for you sometime if you like," Adrien offered with an easy smile. But Nino and Alya arrived back with drinks at the moment, so Marinette did not manage to reply.

"Right, now we are all drinking for my sorrow at how shit my job is," Alya declared.

"How shit it is?" Nino questioned.

"Yeah, her boss won't let her take the big stories," Marinette explained. "Despite the fact that she's the best journalist there!"

"Oh I'm not the best," Alya replied. "But I'm a damn sight better that Claude."

"What's the story you want then?" Nino asked.

"There is this art thief about," Alya explained. "They've stolen a few minor pieces, but recently they've been getting bolder. And I want to find out who they are! I have half a mind to go after them anyway." She took a long swig from her drink. "But enough about work! Drink!"

And they drank.

* * *

"Mari?" Alya whined the next morning. "My head hurts."

"You shouldn't have drunk so much," Marinette scolded playfully. "Here, have a croissant."

Alya groaned in response, so Marinette took the croissant and shoved it into Alya's open and drooling mouth.

"Thanks," Alya mumbled through a mouthful of food. "It's warm…"

"Well, it was only taken out of the oven about ten minutes ago."

"You made them?"

"No," Marinette replied with a laugh. Alya sat up with a groan. "I popped to my parents of course!"

"I love your parents," Alya mumbled. "I think I might give up journalism and just sit in their bakery and eat all the leftovers."

"Or become a food critic," Marinette suggested with a playful roll of her eyes. She pulled out her own pain au chocolat and took a bite.

"Now that is a fantastic idea," Alya agreed. She finished off her croissant. "I should shower… What day of the week is it? Am I late?"

"Saturday," Marinette replied. "You don't work today."

"Excellent, I'm gonna start on this art thief case!"

"What?"

But Alya had already grabbed her overnight bag and locked herself in the bathroom. Marinette sighed, then picked up the bag containing the spare croissants and pain au chocolats and headed to her front door. She had planned to give them to Adrien and Nino, as a sort of thank you for accompanying them the previous night. At least, that is what Marinette told herself.

Yet as she stood outside Adrien's front door, she couldn't help but overhear some sort of argument.

"-not allowed!" Adrien's voice was saying loudly.

"So? Like you'd report me for it!" Nino replied. Marinette began backing away.

"Don't be an idiot Nino," Adrien retorted.

"I'm not an idiot!" Nino shouted back. He burst out of the front door and crashed straight into Marinette in his anger.

"Sorry!" she squeaked. "I was just going to bring you breakfast but you were arguing…"

Nino deflated and ran a hand through his short hair. Adrien appeared behind him.

"Marinette," Adrien greeted her. She watched as he hastily pulled a smile back onto his face.

"Here." Marinette shoved the bag into Nino's chest before retreating back into her apartment. "Enjoy!" She shut the door and released a breath she didn't realise she was holding. "Ooh that looked like something I did not want to walk into," she told Tikki with a grimace.

It wasn't until she was emptying a can of cat food into a bowl for Tikki that Alya appeared from the bathroom towelling her hair dry.

"You alright?" Alya asked. "Are you still feeding Tikki that crap?"

"Yes, it's the only one she likes!" Marinette defended her choice of cat food.

"It's full of sugar and processed rubbish!"

"Look, you find another one she likes and I will buy it, but I would rather she didn't starve!" Marinette replied with a pout. Something of her earlier discomfort must have shown on her face, as Alya frowned.

"Whats wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You look a bit put out, what happened?" Alya asked, concerned for her friend.

"It sounds like the neighbours are arguing."

"The old couple?"

"I wish, I went to give Adrien and Nino some croissants and they were arguing about something," she replied. Alya grimaced.

"Well, I better be off, lots of evidence to gather!"

* * *

Marinette did not see her new neighbour for a few days, but after having heard him fight with his friend she wasn't really sure she wanted to. It was a bit awkward.

But as she made her way down the corridor to her front door the following Monday, she heard a yelping sound from his apartment followed by-

"You stupid cat! Get off that! It's cheese! Ow! Why do cats have claws?!"

Marinette was going to let herself into her own apartment and ignore him. Really, she was. But something drew her back to the sounds he was making. Her hand reached out and knocked before she knew what she was doing.

Adrien answered surprisingly quickly, but he stood with the door held closed around his stuck out head, like he was trying to trap something inside.

"Marinette, hi, um can I he- Ow! Get off you daft animal!"

"I was wondering if I could help you, it sounded like something was dying…"

He opened the door wider and pulled her inside before slamming it behind him.

"That beast found its way into my apartment and is ransacking my groceries!" He pointed to the fattest black cat Marinette had ever seen. But it was a cat she recognised.

"Plagg?" she said. "Is that you? I thought you'd been taken to the shelter after…" she trailed off as she picked up the cat - whose body was almost as big as Marinette's petite torso - and began stroking him. "His name is Plagg, the old man who lived here before owned him. But when he died someone came and took Plagg to a shelter. I guess he found his way out. Who's a clever boy? Hmm?" Plagg laid back in Marinette's arms and soaked up all the attention she was bestowing upon him.

"Plagg?" Adrien questioned. "What kind of a name is Plagg?"

"I dunno, Master Fu said he came with the name," Marinette replied. "He's a lovely animal. But he likes cheese. Do you have any camembert?"

"What." It was meant as a question, but it came out of Adrien's mouth more like a statement. "No?"

"Here, hold him." Marinette thrust the cat into Adrien's arms. She disappeared out of the door and reappeared a few moments later. She had a packet of camembert in her hand and Adrien noticed how Plagg was now pawing to get to it.

Marinette broke off a small piece.

"Give me your hand," she instructed. Adrien complied and she dropped the camembert into his palm. "Give it to him."

Plagg all but devoured the cheese and continued to lick Adrien's palm for a while after it was gone as if searching for any more molecules.

"He's now your best friend," Marinette told Adrien.

"But I can't look after a cat!" he insisted. "You have a cat, he likes you! You take him!"

"He'll only come back here, you may as well accept he is now yours," Marinette said with a laugh. "I have a spare litter tray somewhere," she mused. "I'll find it later and bring it round."

"Marinette, I can't look after a cat," Adrien said again. Marinette raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why not?" she asked, unconvinced.

"Because- Because… I don't know how! And I have never had one before! And-"

"You are flailing for lame excuses. You feed him in the morning and in the evening. Cheese is just for a treat. You have to clean out the litter tray after he's used it and you'll have to pet him a bit. Easy peasy. Plus cats give great advice."

"Cats give great advice," Adrien repeated in a disbelieving tone.

"They do. Give it a week, if you don't like it after a week, I'll take him," she compromised. "Deal?" Marinette held her hand out for him to shake. Just before he took her outstretched hand, she withdrew it. "But if I'm right, and I think I am, you have to accompany me to my friend's art gallery opening." She stuck her hand back out and Adrien paused before taking it with a smile.

Five minutes later, back in her own apartment, Marinette had to hold in a scream at her own daring. She texted the story of the entire ordeal to Alya and then squealed into a pillow with delight.

"Tikki I can't believe I did that! That was like a grown up confident version of me! You should have seen it," she told the ginger cat that had jumped onto the end of the sofa. "That was almost like asking a guy on a date!" She flopped back and tried to slow her breathing down. "Tikki, will you make Plagg behave? I'd really like to turn up to one of these events with a sort-of date, even if it is just as friends…"

Tikki mewed in response and settled down for a nap.

"I need to draw something."

And so she did.

* * *

"The police aren't telling me anything," Alya moaned later that evening. "I tried everything, but they gave me nothing. I am seriously wondering if they just don't know anything themselves."

They were sitting in the bar at the end of the road again. Marinette was sipping at her peach iced tea and listening to Alya, who was just getting increasingly frustrated with her job.

"And Claude is even more useless I swear. He seemed happy to run with the 'police are idiots' line, but there is no point in that," she ranted. "Distrust in the police just causes unrest."

"So what do you know about the piece?" Marinette asked.

"It's a relatively new piece of art, but no one knows what it looks like or what piece it is," Alya told her. "I've heard it was worth a couple of hundred euros, which is a lot-"

"But nothing that is too well known by your average joe," Marinette finished for her. "I hope Nath is alright, this is hardly the sort of thing you want going on when he's trying to open his gallery!"

"Yeah, I'd advise him to up his security," Alya mused.

"Yeah I might, though as my parents have offered to do the catering, I imagine my dad could just sit on anyone who tries anything."

The two young women laughed good-naturedly.

"Maybe I should come along to this gallery opening thing," Alya said. "I mean someone there might be in on the business, right?"

"I doubt it," Marinette replied. "Nath wouldn't associate with that sort!"

"Not knowingly he wouldn't!"

"Besides, you don't have a ticket!"

"But I'm sure my best friend could get me one," Alya said as she shuffled towards Marinette and batted her eyelids at her. "If I offered to do a very complimentary piece on how great all the art is…?" she added as an incentive.

"I will ask-"

"Thank you! Thank you!" Alya squealed.

"I can't promise anything!" Marinette giggled back. "But he could do with some good publicity with all this negativity about the art world going on."

"Is it affecting your work?" Alya asked, genuinely concerned.

"No, design is far enough away from that sort of art for people to consider it differently. Besides, people always need stuff adjusted!" Marinette replied. "Though I have some great new designs for my portfolio!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! I'd been thinking about stained glass windows and how they spread the light. Then how that could be transferred to-"

"Hey!" Nino's voiced interrupted Marinette's explanation. "Fancy seeing you two here!"

"Nino, what are you doing here?" Alya asked. Marinette couldn't help but notice that her friend had sat up a little straighter upon Nino's arrival. She'd also flicked her hair back and flashed her most dazzling smile. Marinette smiled herself at her friend's behaviours, before turning her attention back to the conversation.

"Well I was supposed to be meeting Adrien here for a drink," he explained. "But obviously, he's not here yet."

"So you've stopped arguing?" Alya prompted.

"Arguing? Oh, that!" Nino glanced at Marinette, who blushed guiltily. "It wasn't a real argument, just a slight disagreement. But the arrival of baked goods kind of sorted everything out. Thanks for those by the way!"

"No problem," Marinette replied. "They were from my parent's bakery so I get them free anyway."

"Free baked good and great company, I think you two are worth remaining friends with!" Nino laughed as he sat down.

"And why are you worth remaining friends with?" Alya teased. Nino looked slightly taken aback by the question but quickly recovered.

"Are you suggesting my incredible wit isn't enough of a reason?"

"Yeah, and we'd keep Adrien around for his puns," Alya quipped.

Marinette watched the two young adults banter back and forth with a feeling of contentment settling in her heart. It was about time Alya found someone who was genuinely interested in her and Marinette couldn't help but feel that Nino was a good match.

* * *

Adrien never actually turned up that night and Marinette soon headed home leaving Alya and Nino to flirt. Marinette didn't mind, she had a design to finish and she knew she should've started on her dress for the gallery opening a week ago.

She'd bought the fabric for her dress earlier that day from her favourite little fabric shop along with some padding and new cotton. It was a navy so dark it was almost black with small white polka dots. Her design was a simple bodycon dress with bust cups and a lace insert at the waist.

Marinette realised it wasn't quite as formal as the situation required, but she loved the design so much that she'd chosen to make it anyway. Paired with cream heels, a smart matching bag and a blazer it would look just fine.

She'd already cut the pattern, so began pinning it to the fabric on her work desk. Marinette lost herself in the rhythmic actions of pinning, cutting and sewing.

That is until her phone rang. She frowned; not wanting to stop in the middle of a seam. The phone continued to ring. The end of the seam got closer. The phone continued to ring. She just had to tie it off.

The phone stopped ringing.

"Oh damn," she cursed. She unlocked her phone to read the name of her missed caller: Nathanael. She hit redial and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey?"

"Sorry, I missed your call! I was just trying to finish a seam and-"

"It's okay, I understand," Nath replied good-naturedly. Marinette could believe his words, he'd often ignored calls when in the middle of a painting. "Look, I was just calling about the gallery opening, I think I'm going to have to delay it."

"What? Why? It's this weekend!" Marinette could not contain her shock.

"Well, the string quartet pulled out on me last minute for some other gig that is actually paying them." Marinette heard Nath groan. "And the only other suitable musicians I can find are school children or expensive. And while I have nothing against children it's not really the classy air I was going for…"

"But you can't cancel it! You've got all those guests coming and I'd convinced Alya to come and give you a great review," Marinette embellished the truth slightly.

"You had? She would do that?"

"Of course, she would," Marinette said. "I suppose speakers are out of the question?"

"Well I thought about it, but it would somewhat ruin the aesthetic," Nath replied. Marinette sighed.

"Look, it's past midnight," she said as she glanced at the clock. "I will think on it and get back to you. But don't cancel anything. We can make this work!"

"Thanks, Mari," Nath said.

Marinette hung up and sank into her chair. She'd lost all enthusiasm to finish off her dress. She needed to fix Nath's problem. But where was she going to find a classy string quartet by Friday?

* * *

The solution to her problem arrived the very next morning as she left for a meeting with a new client. Marinette was just pulling her door shut behind her when Adrien left his own apartment.

"Hi," he greeted her with a smile. "I'm just off to try and find some cat food for Plagg. He didn't like the ones I tried yesterday."

"Piano," Marinette stated. She was staring up at her neighbour as if he was the solution to everything.

"Excuse me?"

"You play the piano."

"I do," Adrien agreed with an amused smile. "What of it?"

"You know that gallery opening I mentioned?" Marinette prompted, snapping out of her daze. Adrien nodded. "The musicians cancelled."

"And you want me to fill in?"

"He can't afford to pay anyone for it," Marinette pleaded. "But you'll get tonnes of free food and-"

"I'll do it," Adrien interrupted

"Really? You're the best!" Marinette jumped as if about to launched herself into a hug with Adrien, then realised how inappropriate that would be and restrained herself. "Thank you so much. I'll let Nath know."

Adrien accompanied her down the stairs and out of the apartment block, discussing times and things before they parted ways; Marinette to go to meet her client and Adrien to some unknown location in the opposite direction.

 **Author's note: So I found this in my drafts and I have no idea where I was going with it... I think it was going to turn out that Adrien was the cat burglar stealing the art? No idea...**


	2. Puppet Strings

Puppet Strings

Chapter One

Marinette wasn't entirely sure when it happened. It wasn't like one day Chat suddenly stopped flirting. But now, as she mused on the subject, she'd realised it had happened.

It was true that they were both older now, and that did change people. But still…

"Mademoiselle, the reporter is here," her assistant, Fleur, called through the door.

"Send them in," Marinette replied. She shook her head and tried to clear her mind of her crime fighting partner. "Alya?"

"Look at you! Do you realise how hard it is to get an appointment to see you?" she spoke as if they'd never been apart. But in truth, the two friends had not seen each other in almost a year.

"I thought you were still in the middle east?" Marinette asked as they embraced. "What happened to uncovering all the corruption and stuff?"

Alya's face broke into a grin.

"My boss wouldn't let me, not while being pregnant and all." She had said it so nonchalantly that it took a moment for Marinette to realise what she'd said.

"What?" Marinette spluttered. "You and Nino were trying?"

"No, it just kinda happened. But now I'm stuck on safe jobs, my boss thought I'd like to do a piece on your new clothing line, soon as it's for kids and all."

Marinette laughed happily and hugged her friend. She hadn't realised just how much she'd missed her friend; the sporadic emails just hadn't been enough.

"I'm so happy for you," she said, and she meant it.

"Oh enough of that, I need you to fill me in on everything." Marinette watched as _that_ look came over her friends face. "What has Ladybug been up to?"

"Oh, um, just saving the city as usual."

"With Chat Noir still?"

"Yeah."

"Good," Alya said with a sigh. "You know I'll want more on that later, but for now, I need to ask you about your current work."

"Of course," Marinette said and she relaxed a little. Alya pulled a voice recorder from her bag and set it on the desk.

"Interview with Marinette, regarding her new clothes line." She paused a moment so that her previous words would sound like an obvious title for the recording. "So Marinette, the last I remember, you were working under Gabriel Agreste. Now you have your own business, how did that happen?"

Marinette knew Alya already knew the answer, but was giving her something to ease her into the interview; her friend had always been so kind.

"Well I worked for Monsieur Agreste straight after I graduated from University. His business is successful, and I learnt a lot under his guidance."

"But...?" Alya prompted.

"But I did not agree with how he treated his staff, especially some of the models. I didn't want to be a part of that any more, so I decided to create my own brand." Marinette knew Alya wanted more of the dirt on Agreste, but she did not want to focus on that. Those memories were still uncomfortable. "It was tough, especially at first. Any new business can fail, regardless of the talent and hard work behind it. I was fortunate. The first range I put out caught the public's eye. Business bloomed from there."

"And you've recently expanded into children's clothing?"

"Yes, I love reading the reviews and comments my company receives. One included a photo of a mother and her daughter. The daughter had raided her mother's wardrobe and tried on one of the dresses I had designed. I thought it was so cute, but it got me thinking that I could rescale my designs for children. So that little girl could wear something that fitted and so her mother wouldn't have her closet raided." Marinette paused as Alya laughed a little. "I sent that mother and daughter a complementary set of matching mother and daughter dresses, they loved them and sent me another photo. I have it in my drawer somewhere. It was the spark for the whole range."

"That's adorable!" Alya squeaked. "Your ranges certainly have proved popular with the masses as well as high fashion critics, how have you managed to please so many people?"

"I don't know," Marinette replied. "It wasn't really intentional. But I'm glad I can make so many people happy."

"Your company is known for its ethical policy, you don't use sweatshops do you?"

"No, we have outsourced some of our production but I have been diligent in assuring that anyone working for me, regardless of where they live, is paid highly for their job. I value my employees. Without them, I wouldn't be here today."

"And this goes for your models too, doesn't it?"

Alya was getting dangerously close to the topic Marinette did not want to discuss.

"Of course, their health and happiness is of the utmost importance to me."

A grin spread across Alya's face as she pulled something else out of her bag. She slid a photograph across to Marinette who took it and let her jaw drop.

"While we're on the topic of models, this is a photo of Adrien Agreste. He is wearing something from your latest male line, how do you feel about this considering you used to work with him?"

Alya did not need to add 'and you had a massive crush on him'.

Adrien was wearing one of the jackets she had designed. The paparazzi shot showed him walking down the street. But that wasn't what had made Marinette's jaw drop; he was wearing her scarf. Admittedly, he still thought his father had given it to him, but still…

"I'm flattered," she mumbled.

"Maybe we should wrap it up there," Alya said. She stopped the recording. "I need a photo for the article."

"I can find something suitable," Marinette said, scribbling a note in her day planner. "I'll email you it this afternoon."

"And we need to catch up properly, are you free this evening?"

"Yeah."

"Excellent, our place at seven?"

"Sure."

Marinette had agreed without really realising she'd done it.

"I'll let you keep that photo," Alya said with a grin and she sauntered out of the room.

Marinette stared at the photo. Adrien looked older than he had in school. His boyish charm had been replaced by stunning cheekbones and a strong jawline. He was no less handsome for it though.

Though she had ceased working for Gabriel, she had kept up with his work and of course that of his son. She hadn't spoken to Adrien in almost two years. Not since the day she had quit.

But she had long since gotten over her crush.

The thought of crushes brought her straight back to Chat Noir.

She was ashamed to have taken so long to notice the changes. He was just as reliable as he ever had been. Just as quick to make jokes that made her eyes roll. But he no longer flirted with her. And only now was she realising that she missed it. Only now was she wondering why he was no longer head over heels for his Lady.

Marinette sighed. Maybe it was just because everyone else seemed to be settling down. One of her assistants had gotten engaged a week ago, now Alya was going to have a baby. And Marinette? She was married to her work.

Idly, she began doodling on a piece of spare paper. She tried to focus on other things, like what photo she would send to Alya for the article. Maybe one from the latest fashion shoot…

Seven o'clock rolled around far too quickly for Marinette's liking. She normally wouldn't leave her office til eight, but catching up with Alya was more important. Only, after not seeing her for so long, Marinette felt a little anxious.

She took a deep breath and knocked on Alya and Nino's apartment door. Alya appeared a moment later, beaming.

"Finally!" She grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her inside. "Nino has just finished cooking, come on!"

Alya led her to the dining room and they took a seat as Nino brought the food through.

"I have something to show you," Marinette said, pulling her sketchbook out from her bag and laying it between herself and Alya. She flicked it open to the latest designs. "What do you think?"

Alya couldn't seem to contain herself.

"You did this for me?" she asked as she studied the baby clothing designs. On the page were two onesies; a Ladybug one and a Chat Noir one.

"No, it's for your baby actually," Marinette replied with her giggle. "Though inspired by its mother's love for Ladybug and-" The sound of the doorbell interrupted her. "Someone else is coming?"

But Nino was already leading someone into the dining room.

It was Adrien Agreste.

Chapter Two

"Oh, hi," he said. There was a momentary lapse in his usual easy smile when he spotted Marinette. His attention spun onto Alya. "Congratulations, Nino told me earlier about your news."

"Thanks, look at what Marinette has designed for my baby!" Alya said as she turned the sketchbook towards him. "Aren't they adorable?"

"Quite," he replied as he glanced down at the drawings. "She's as talented as ever I see."

The smile had not left his face, but Marinette felt uneasy.

"Of course she is, you've been following her work I presume?" Alya asked, though it sounded more like an interrogation.

"It's my job to," he replied.

"Shall I start serving?" Nino asked.

"Sounds great," Alya said. "Then we can get down to the real reason we asked you two here!"

"You brought us both here to discuss Ladybug?" Marinette asked, as she tried to keep the worry out of her voice.

Nino and Alya laughed.

"It's more important than that," Alya muttered.

"I didn't think there was anything in the world more important than your Ladyblog!"

"We want you two to be the godparents to our child."

For the second time that day, Marinette's mouth fell open.

"Really?" she whispered and Alya nodded. Marinette threw herself on her friend and hugged her tightly. "Of course I will!"

"As will I," Adrien added. Marinette looked around, she had momentarily forgotten he was there. His smile had changed though, it seemed more genuine.

Her own smile relaxed. The four sat down to dinner and they chatted happily as they ate. It had been too long.

"Oh Tikki, I'm so glad Alya is back! I didn't realise how much I'd missed her!"

Tikki flew around her head with a grin on her little red face.

"Come on, it's time for the rounds!" she prompted.

"You're right!"

Soon, Ladybug was almost flying through the streets without a care in the world. Her worries from earlier that day were gone. She could just feel that tonight was going to be crime free. She could just enjoy the night.

So when she spotted Chat on top of one of the taller buildings, she joined him without hesitation.

"Good evening, my Lady," he greeted her without looking around.

"It's going to be a clear night tonight," she replied.

"Good," he said. "I'm not in the mood for banishing evil. I've had too good a day."

"Me too."

Chat lounged back against a bit of wall and gazed up at the stars.

"How long do you want to be Ladybug?" he asked.

"Until I'm no longer young enough to throw myself into dangerous situations and save people," she replied. "How about you?"

"If I'm by your side, I'll do this until the day I die," Chat said with a hint of his old flirtatious habits peaking through.

Ladybug smiled at her partner and there was a silence between them as they looked out into the night.

"Do you have a lover Chat? In your other life?"

She wasn't sure what made her ask the question, but the words slipped out.

"No," he answered. "I don't want anyone in my other life. Do you?"

Marinette thought about her answer. No, she didn't have anyone, but did she want someone?

"I don't, I guess I don't really have time," she admitted. "My friend told me this evening that I need to get out more, see a few people. She even suggested I get myself a pet. I wanted to tell her I already had a cat, but the joke would have been lost on her."

There was another silence.

"If you found someone, would you tell them about Ladybug?" Chat asked.

"If it became serious, I guess I would," Ladybug admitted.

"Are we not serious?" Chat looked around at Ladybug for her answer.

"Of course we are, but this is different."

Chat looked away. Ladybug realised her words had upset him.

"It's for our safety, you know that Chat. I trust you more than anything." She sighed. "I'm going to head off, see you soon."

"More than anything," Chat repeated to himself. He waited a while before getting up and stretching.

He was not tired. He was not done with the night yet.

Adrien had seen Marinette that evening. How long had it been since their argument? Two years? She had not changed a bit though. Chat found his feet guiding him somewhere he hadn't been in a while, but he let them take him there; Marinette's apartment.

Just to check she had made it home safely from Alya and Nino's place. Nothing more.

He spotted her easily through the window from the building opposite; meandering through her apartment in her pyjamas.

How did it all go so wrong? They had become such a good team when she'd worked for his father, her creativity and his charm; an unbeatable team. Now they barely spoke.

Maybe the whole godparents thing would change that. Assuming his father didn't put a stop to it.

Chat watched as Marinette closed her curtains. He forced down the desire to go and knock on one of those windows. He knew if he did, that she'd invite him in. That if he did, then she'd speak to him without caution. She would speak to him like they were friends.

It had been long enough, Adrien decided, he wanted her friendship back.

"Mademoiselle, we've had two requests through this morning," Fleur said from Marinette's office doorway.

"Come in," Marinette mumbled as she looking through the designs of her subordinates. "What have we got?"

"Firstly, a personal request for you to design a wedding dress. The message reads 'I know you don't usually do this sort of thing, but my wife loves your work so much and I would be grateful if you would consider it'. It's from a man named Max Bleu, he wants to make his fiancee happy by the looks of it," Fleur read from the tablet in her arms. Marinette considered.

"He hasn't really given us a lot to work with there, can you arrange for him to come in? So I can speak with him in person?"

"Of course," Fleur said as she made a note. "The other request is for an urgent meeting today at 12 o'clock. Your schedule is free then, if you want to take it up."

"Who is it with? What's it for?"

"Adrien Agreste; he wants to propose something to you over lunch."

Marinette blinked. And then she blinked again.

"Adrien?" she repeated dumbly. "Um, well, did he give any more details?"

"That's all his assistant told me," Fleur admitted. "Do you want me to enquire further?"

"No, it's alright, I'll do it."

"I'll let them know," Fleur said and she excused herself from the office.

Twice in two days, Marinette thought. What had she done to deserve this attention from him?

"Maybe this is your chance to sort things out with him," Tikki whispered from her bag.

"Maybe it is," Marinette agreed. She dropped a cookie into her bag for Tikki to eat. She thought the idea through for a few moments. "I think you're right. It's time to put it all behind us."

She grinned as she scooped up the designs to go and give her feedback to her designers.

At 12 o'clock on the dot, a limousine pulled up outside the office for Marinette. She did not question the grandeur, but climbed inside and was only slightly disappointed to see the interior empty of her lunch date.

"Monsieur Agreste will be meeting you at the restaurant," the driver informed her as he pulled away.

"Thank you," Marinette replied.

Her company had never gone to the extravagance of buying a limousine. It wasn't as if they didn't have the money to, they certainly did. But Marinette prefered to invest her profits in better causes than ridiculously long vehicles. Instead, Marinette had set up a homeless shelter.

However this was not as selfless as it might seem at first.

About a year ago, there had been a spree of akuma attacks. All of the victims had been homeless and as a result vulnerable to the influences of the evil magic Hawkmoth had spread over the city. After several sleepless nights of battles, Marinette knew something had to be done and so she had set up a homeless shelter.

It was free for everyone to use as they liked as long as basic rules were followed. In addition to this, Marinette would visit once a week and meet with the residents to see how she could help them. For some, just having an address to add to their jobs applications was enough to help them back on their own two feet. For others, she helped them apply for and supported them through training courses or college.

One or two people she had even hired herself. She'd found a very talented accountant and a young and upcoming photographer.

The limousine struggled through the busy streets until they arrived outside a restaurant she knew was very well thought of. She thanked the driver and walked up to the entrance. After mentioning Adrien's name, she was escorted to a window seat table where he was waiting for her.

"Hello," she greeted him as she took a seat.

"Hi," he returned and sat up a little straighter. Marinette couldn't help but admire his choice of clothing. Though he had no inclination to design anything, he had a good eye for style. "I'm glad you came."

"Well I'll admit I'm very curious as to why you asked me in the first place," she told him.

"Straight down to business I see, well let's order first," Adrien said and waved a waitress over. Marinette quickly glanced down at the menu, noticed the distinct lack of prices and sighed.

Once they'd ordered, Marinette prompted Adrien again and he seemed to consider his own words before speaking.

"Last night was nice, didn't you think?" he asked finally. Marinette frowned, but assumed he was going somewhere with this train of thought.

"Yeah, especially after not seeing them for so long."

"It made me think about high school and stuff," he went on. "Alya and Nino aren't the only ones who will have news to share with people, right?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "I was thinking we could organise something like a reunion. It is almost Christmas after all."

"We?" Marinette repeated skeptically.

"Well you were class president, weren't you?" Adrien pointed out with a smile.

Marinette smiled at the memories.

"Yes, I guess I was," she admitted.

"So what do you say?" he asked as their food arrived.

Marinette pulled her day planner out of her bag and flicked it open to the calendar where she had penciled in key dates.

"It'd have to be a weekend, so no one's jobs are affected. A Saturday would be best in case people need to travel to get here," she mused as she looked through the dates. "Second Saturday in December, I'm free then?"

Adrien smiled as he checked the calendar on his phone and nodded.

"Looks good, I'll pencil that in then. That only gives us a few weeks though," he said. "We'd need to sort out where, catering and so on quickly. Christmas is a busy time for these things."

"I'll be able to get us waiting staff," Marinette said. "But catering will depend on what food we want to offer."

"And what food we can offer will depend on the location and cooking facilities," Adrien added. He smiled at her ready acceptance to get involved and hoped it was a sign that she too wanted to put their past behind them.

They spent the rest of the lunch date discussing possible venues and the like. It wasn't until a beeping sound from Adrien's phone caused him to mutter darkly about needing to go.

"I've had a great time though, perhaps we can continue this at some other time," he offered quickly, pulling a smile back onto his face. Marinette frowned a little, having noticed his expression change at the sound of that beep.

"That'd be great," she said, fixing a smile onto her own face. She knew it was not her place to comment on his choices. It never had been, she reminded herself bitterly.

"Here," he offered his phone to her. "Put your number in there and we can arrange something. Unless you'd prefer I go through your secretary?"

Marinette hesitated for a fraction of a second. It was easier if Fleur knew these things to add to her schedule, but…

She took the phone and typed in her personal mobile number.

"There," she said as she handed it back.

"Excellent, I'll get the cheque. I'll see you soon." He smiled warmly at her and for just a moment, Marinette felt her heart flutter. Silently, she cursed herself as she left and began the walk back to her office. It would do no good to go falling in love with him again. That ship had sailed a long time ago, crashed into an iceberg and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

It was only as she walked into her office that she realised that she had made no effort with her appearance before meeting Adrien. The thought made her kind of proud in an odd way. As if she hadn't cared what he thought of her or her looks. It wasn't entirely true, but still, it was something.

Fleur looked positively anxious when Marinette returned. At first, she thought that Fleur was worried how the lunch date had gone. Her assistant knew there had been something in Marinette and Adrien's past that had gone badly, but had never asked - nor had Marinette been brave enough to tell her outright - about the details of said incident.

"Alya called while you were gone," Fleur began. "Um, perhaps you better call her back?"

"What's happened?"

"I don't know the full details, but it's about the article…"

"Right," Marinette said. "Can you add to my schedule that I'm busy on the second Saturday of December? Thanks. I'll call her now."

Marinette strode into her office and shut the door. What on earth had Fleur so worried?

She dialed Alya's number and waited for her friend to pick up.

"Marinette, it's a disaster," Alya wailed.

"What's happened?"

"My editor, he took away my recording and given it to someone else to do the article because apparently I have a conflict of interest as I know you and he's given it to Jean-Luc and he's an arse and-"

"Alya, calm down, what can he possibly do that's bad?" Marinette asked reasonably.

"He'll blow up the thing with Agreste into a massive thing," Alya said.

Marinette almost swore. Instead, she sucked in her breath and let it out slowly.

"Thank you for the heads up, it'll be fine," she reassured her friend. "Are you free on the second Saturday of December?"

"Probably, why?"

"For a party of course, you and Nino are invited!" Marinette said. "I'll tell you more later, I've got to dash, sorry!"

She hung up and let her head fall onto the desk.

"What am I going to do Tikki?"

But Tikki had no advice to give.

Chapter Three

Marinette lay on her bed that night in defeat. She knew the article was likely to be released tomorrow; a Friday. Friday meant that she only had one working day to quell any rumours before a whole weekend of not being able to do very much.

She wanted to cry.

"It'll be alright," Tikki said as she heaved a cookie through the air and dropped it onto Marinette's pillow. Marinette tried to smile at Tikki's kindness, but a tear leaked out as she took the cookie.

"Adrien and I had just started patching things up, you know?" she whimpered. "And now he'll hate me again…"

"You don't know that," Tikki said.

"It's going to drag everything back up again," Marinette wailed. "Maybe I'll call in sick. Fleur can deal with these things… Why don't I have a PR person? I need one."

"It was your comment, not Fleur's," Tikki reminded her. "Don't let her deal with it."

"I know, I know," Marinette mumbled. "It was just wishful thinking."

"But I'll agree you need a PR person."

Marinette finished her cookie and wrote 'PR person' in her day planner to remind her tomorrow to look for one.

* * *

"Monsieur Bleu is here," Fleur called. "Regarding the wedding dress."

"Send him through," Marinette called back. She'd avoided the newspapers all morning and instead had spent her time looking for a PR assistant. Her searches had proved somewhat fruitless.

"Hi? Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng? I'm Max, Max Bleu" a nervous looking man said from the doorway.

"Come in. Please take a seat and call me Marinette," she said as she gestured to the chair opposite her desk. "I understand you want a wedding dress?"

"Yes," Max said. "My fiancee loves your stuff and I know you don't normally do this sort of thing but I thought I'd ask."

"Tell me a bit about her," Marinette prompted and Max was off. His fiancee, Emilie, was a pediatric nurse who loved gardening in her spare time. They were hoping for a spring wedding so that all the flowers would begin to bloom in their wedding photos.

"I have a photo of her, here." Max handed over the photo of a pretty brunette standing proudly next to a sunflower. "It's the first plant that grew in our garden, she was so happy."

"She's radiant," Marinette said as she handed it back. "How many bridesmaids and groomsmen will you be having?"

"We haven't set the numbers yet," Max admitted. "I know she wants at least two of her nursing friends to be there, and possibly my sister. I just have my best man."

Marinette scribbled this down.

"Well I'll have to do matching pieces for all relevant parties," she mumbled. "Do you need waiting staff? I will provide the photographer of course."

"What?" Max looked confused.

"Well, I can provide you with dresses and suits for free, on the basis that my photographer takes the photos and I can use a few for publicity on our website. Nothing major of course, more in the way of 'this is what has been designed'. But I have people willing to work relatively cheaply as waiting and bar staff, if you need them."

"I can't possibly let you do that!" Max insisted. "We have to pay-"

Marinette had been about to interrupt the man herself, when the door burst open and a fuming Adrien Agreste strode inside.

"What the hell is this about?" he snarled, throwing a newspaper at Marinette, who caught it deftly.

"Good morning, Monsieur Agreste," Marinette replied. "Perhaps you would like to wait outside. As you can see, I have a client right now."

Max looked positively terrified under the glare Adrien gave him.

"This is-" Adrien began, but Marinette interrupted him.

"Do you have an appointment, Monsieur Agreste?"

"You know full well I don't," he growled.

"Then perhaps you should go and make one with Fleur," she suggested. "And if I hear of you being unpleasant to any of my staff, I will have you forcibly removed from the building."

Adrien appeared insulted at her words. He made a low hissing noise and stormed from the room.

"My apologies," Marinette said quickly to Max, her smile returning. "The press like to stir up trouble."

"I see," he said.

"Look, I've got enough to be getting on with, could you arrange with Fleur for another meeting some time next week say? We'll have more to work on once I've got some preliminary designs down."

"That sounds good," Max said. He looked happy to escape the office after what had just happened.

"Do you have a wedding planner at all?"

"Not yet no," Max said as he made to stand up.

"I see," Marinette mumbled, making some more notes. "I'll see what I can do for you."

"Thank you," Max said and he left.

Marinette sighed as the door shut behind him. She unfolded the newspaper and began to read her downfall.

 _ **DUPAIN-CHENG SLANDERS AGRESTE**_

 **Dupain-Cheng, 25, rose to fame under the guidance of none other than Gabriel Agreste himself. The young designer was asked to leave the Agreste brand after only two years of employment. She set up her own label and has flourished with her unique sense of style. Yet it is obvious to all that Dupain-Cheng is still bitter after her recent slander of Gabriel Agreste. In an interview regarding her newest line - a desperate bid to grab a chunk out of the market for children's clothing - she let slip her opinion regarding Agreste's work ethics. Monsieur Agreste is known for demanding perfection and rightly so, but Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng seemingly disagreed.**

Marinette did not bother to read the rest of the article as it continued to list her many faults.

"This isn't even true," she muttered as she dropped it on the desk. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

"Marinette, I'm so sorry!"

It was Alya. Marinette had never seen her so upset. She immediately rose from her chair to embrace her friend.

"It's not your fault."

"I quit my job," she sobbed. "When I saw the article, I tried to protest. It's all lies but my editor wouldn't listen. He accused me of being hormonal. So I quit."

"Good, a sexist git like that doesn't deserve you," Marinette said. "Come on, take a seat, I'll get you some tea."

"I wouldn't," Alya warned as she dried her eyes on her sleeve. "Adrien is out there and he was pretty pissed that I could just walk in and he couldn't."

"I told him to make an appointment," Marinette said with a sigh. She flopped back into her chair and groaned. "I don't suppose you want to take a job as my PR person, do you?"

"Is that a serious offer?" Alya asked with a hiccough.

"Well it's come to my attention that I kind of need one."

"Tempt me," Alya teased, and Marinette was glad to see her smiling again.

"Well, I'll let you run off and film Ladybug whenever you need to," Marinette said. "And unlimited use of the drinks machine."

"I get unlimited use of the drinks machine anyway," Alya deadpanned. Marinette laughed. "I'll think about it. What was this party thing about anyway?"

"Yesterday, before everything went to pot, Adrien suggested a school reunion to me. As I was class president, he thought we could organise it together. I hoped he wanted to patch things up. But then this happened." She gestured to the newspaper.

"Well you two are going to have to patch things up," Alya said. "I am not having warring godparents for my baby. You'll set a bad example." She mused on the idea for a moment. "Unless you're going to compete for its affections and shower it with gifts."

"Oh please," Marinette said with a laugh. "I will win that hands down."

"I know you will, but it'd be cute to see Adrien try."

"What about Nino? Did he quit too?" Marinette asked.

"I don't know, I kind of stormed out before he could do anything." Alya winced at her own words. "I should probably go and check he's okay. You should deal with the sulking idiot out there."

Marinette sighed.

"Yes, I suppose I should."

Alya departed and Marinette waited five more minutes before she exited her office. Adrien was waiting just outside with his arms crossed.

"I'm sorry Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng," Fleur said quickly. "He just wouldn't leave."

"It's quite alright, I'm going to head to the shelter now. Phone me if anything important comes up."

"Of course."

Marinette made to leave, but found Adrien standing in her way.

"Excuse me Monsieur Agreste, I have somewhere I need to be."

"Don't call me that," Adrien muttered. Marinette rolled her eyes, sidestepped him and proceeded to leave via the design department. She could hear Adrien following her, but ignored him.

At the design department, she stuck her head through the door and checked on everyone.

"Everything okay in here?"

A general reply of "yeah" was received.

"Julie, I know you wanted to design wedding stuff, right?" Marinette asked the slightly older woman by the window. "I've had a request for one if you wish to assist me on it?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I don't know all the details yet. But spring wedding, bride loves gardening and flowers. If you have any ideas, shove them on paper and we'll go from them."

"Thanks," Julie said.

Marinette's attention turned to the man closest to her.

"Joe, I know you've been sneaking out early."

"Sorry, the babysitter quit," Joe said quickly.

"Say no more, it's fine. Just let someone know that you're leaving so if there's an emergency we know you aren't in the building," Marinette said. "If you need to work from home for a bit, that is absolutely fine as long as you keep on top of things."

Joe smiled gratefully.

Marinette closed the door and left the office block, Adrien still following her like a slightly creepy shadow. The shelter was not far from the office, and well within walking distance.

"Are you just going to follow me?" Marinette asked as she walked. "It's slightly disturbing."

"I will follow you until you answer my question."

"What question?"

"What the hell was that article about?" the vicious tone was back in his voice. Marinette did not like it one bit. Where had the sweet boy of her youth gone?

"Journalists like to exaggerate," Marinette said simply. "I said I did not agree with how your father treated his workers, they took that to mean I am an unworthy, ungrateful, money grabbing bitch and wrote an article."

"But you're none of those things," Adrien said. Marinette laughed bitterly and turned to face him.

"And yet you still stormed into my office and acted as if every word was true."

She turned back and continued walking. Adrien stared agape after her before running to catch up.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Apology accepted," Marinette replied. "For your information, originally Alya was going to write the article. She would have omitted the entire subject. But due to a 'conflict of interest' she was kicked off the article. She quit this morning."

"So that's why Nino quit," Adrien muttered to himself.

"He did?" Marinette asked, genuinely interested. "Hmm, I'm sure I can give him a job if need be."

"You're more concerned for them than you are about yourself," Adrien said with a frown.

"Well yes, they are now both unemployed and have a baby on the way," Marinette pointed out.

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Do you plan on joining me the entire way?"

"Probably not, I should get back," Adrien admitted. "I'll have my own onslaught of 'what does your father do to his works?' questions to deal with."

"I wish you luck with it," Marinette said.

"Hey, Marinette?"

Marinette turned back to face him.

"Yes, Adrien?"

"If I quit my job, would you look after me too?"

She thought he was joking, so gave a jovial answer.

"Of course, I could do with an errand boy," she teased. "I'm not sure you're attractive enough to be one of our models, we have high standards at my company."

Adrien laughed and waved before walking away.

"Maybe I'm not completely screwed," she whispered.

"Maybe not," Tikki replied.

* * *

Marinette spent her evening searching for her former classmates on Facebook. The only person Marinette had avoided contacting was Chloe. But Chloe was now the only person left on her list.

"Tikki, you do it," Marinette cried dramatically. "Don't make me talk to her…"

Tikki rolled her eyes, but before she could speak there was a knock at the door. Marinette frowned, but got up to answer it as Tikki scooted out of sight.

Marinette peeked through the peephole and gasped at who was standing there. She opened the door.

"Adrien?"

"I brought dinner," he said, holding up a carrier bag with takeaway in it. "As an apology for earlier."

Marinette stood aside and let him enter in shock.

"Shoes off please," she stammered.

"Oh right, sure."

Adrien slipped off his shoes and took a look around the apartment. It wasn't large by any means, but it was tidy and neat.

"Please take a seat, I'll get plates or something," Marinette mumbled as she began fussing and tidying non-existent mess. She hurried to her kitchen and mentally squealed. Adrien Agreste was inside her apartment. If only her teenage self could see her now.

When she returned to the living room, Adrien had draped his jacket across the back of his chair and seemed to be looking at something. Marinette could not help but think that he looked like he was posing.

When she got closer, she realised he was looking at her sketchbook. She quickly snatched it from his hands.

"You can't look at that," she said firmly.

"Sorry, it just caught my eye," he said quickly. "I'm not here to steal your designs, I promise."

Marinette closed the sketchbook and returned it to her workbag. She hadn't meant to snap like that, but the Agreste fashion lines were her competition.

"I know," she said softly. Adrien began dishing out the Chinese takeaway and Marinette helped herself to egg fried rice.

"Are you getting married?" Adrien suddenly blurted.

"What?" Marinette stammered. Fortunately she had not had anything in her hands to drop.

"You had a few wedding dress designs in there," he prompted.

"They're not for me!" Marinette hastily clarified. "A client."

"Ah, of course," Adrien said and Marinette noticed the slight twinge of pink in his cheeks. "I just thought... "

"Thought what?" Marinette asked with a frown.

"That, um. The designs were quite floral. You always used to like flowers and stuff and…" He looked away and brought his hand up to run through his hair.

"My client also likes flowers," Marinette said by way of an explanation.

"Yeah," Adrien said lamely. He broke a pair of chopsticks apart and began eating to avoid having to come up with a new conversation starter. Marinette did likewise.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Marinette spoke again.

"Are you still in contact with Chloe?" The look on Adrien's face told her that he was, and that he didn't like it one bit. "Excellent, can you ask her about the reunion. I contacted almost everyone else I think."

"Please do not make me do that…" Adrien looked desperate. "Chloe is… A lovely person," he said diplomatically. "But she is a little over enthusiastic in some areas and I don't know how to deal with it."

"Chloe," Marinette deadpanned. "A lovely person." She raised an eyebrow and Adrien crumbled.

"Fine, she's a pain in the neck. My point being, she does not leave me alone! She has no concept of my having any personal space! Please don't make me talk to her…"

"I would have thought you'd be used to people fawning all over you by now," Marinette said.

"Chloe is a special case," Adrien said with a definite nod and a slight shudder. "She keeps stringing guys along in the hope of making me jealous I think."

"Poor guys," Marinette mumbled.

"Yeah. I think she's worried if she doesn't snag me soon, she'll be too old to have children or something," Adrien admitted.

"What? Really? She's like 24!"

"I know," Adrien said. "It's weird though, I think motherhood would do some good for Chloe."

"You'd make a kid suffer through having her as a mother? Really?"

"Well there are all those stories of how having a kid changes your life right? Like they're born and suddenly all of your priorities change. For all her other faults, she would ensure that kid had the best of everything."

"Maybe you should offer to provide her with some then," Marinette teased as she finished her food.

"She's not my type," Adrien said quickly.

"Oh really? And what is your type?" Marinette asked.

"Anything but Chloe," Adrien replied with a nervous laugh. "What about you?"

"Huh?"

"What's your type?"

Marinette had to sit back in her chair before answering, mainly to give herself time to come up with an answer that wasn't 'tall, muscly, blond haired and green eyed'. Then she realised this description fit not only Adrien, but Chat too. She mentally shuddered.

"Someone I could laugh with and someone I could trust with a secret," she said finally.

"So as long as I don't spread your designs, I'm in with a chance huh?" Adrien said with a wink. Marinette's face flooded red. Adrien obviously realised what he'd just said, as he hastily changed the topic. "Shall I wash up?"

"Huh?"

"The plates and stuff," he said, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh, right. Um, no. I'll just shove them in the kitchen and do them tomorrow morning." Marinette hastily grabbed them and hurried to the kitchen. She took a few minutes to scrap the remaining food into the bin and stack them neatly. After taking a deep breath, she returned to the living room.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to get embarrassed by what you said. It's just…" She took another deep breath. "When I was a teenager I had a mad crush on you. So even though that's long gone and I'm totally over it, hearing you say that was still a bit.. I dunno."

"Really?" Adrien asked. His eyes had gone wide in shock.

"Is that really so unbelievable?"

"I just didn't expect that," he admitted. Though now he thought about it, this fact explained a lot of her actions. "Well at least your crush was more reasonable than mine."

"Go on?" Marinette prompted as she flopped back down onto the sofa.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Promise."

"I fancied Ladybug…"

It was Marinette's turn for her eyes to widen in shock.

"Why?" she managed to say.

"Why on earth wouldn't I?" Adrien said with a weird laugh. "She's beautiful and clever and I'll be honest, that suit she wears is every teenage boy who has an interest in girls dream."

Marinette rolled her eyes, but gave a snort of laughter.

"You sound like such a pervert."

"She knows my name you know?" Adrien went on and a dreamy look came over his face.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you remember when Mylene turned into that purple monster thing? Ladybug checked everyone was there and safe. She knew my name."

"You sound so pathetically lovesick," Marinette said and she couldn't help but giggle slightly.

"Hey! You said you wouldn't laugh!" But Adrien was laughing too.

And so they talked into the night, reminiscing of times at school, university and other good times.

Marinette did not remember falling asleep. Nor did she remember Adrien sneaking into her kitchen and washing up the plates. Nor did she remember Adrien carrying her to her bedroom and tucking her into her own bed.

* * *

The next morning, the only thing Marinette was aware of was a loud and very annoying noise.

"Shhh," she groaned. "Tikki make it go away."

"Alya is ringing you," Tikki replied.

Marinette opened her eyes and groaned at the light levels. Adrien had not shut her curtains. She fumbled for her phone and pulled it closer to her ears.

"Girl, do you wanna tell me why the internet is full of Adrien and you sleeping together?" Alya's voice said.

"What?"

"Did you sleep with Adrien?" Alya repeated.

"No? I don't think so? Alya I just woke up what's this about?"

"The paps got a picture of him leaving your apartment timestamped at three AM. So naturally, they think you slept together." In Marinette's sleep befuddled state, this did not entirely make sense, but she went along with it. "So why didn't you sleep together?"

"What?" Marinette tried to wipe the sleepy dust from her eyes.

"Does Adrien have erectile disfunction?" Alya asked. "Oops, Nino walked in as I said that and walked out again very quickly."

Marinette groaned.

"He just came round for dinner. He brought takeaway as an apology for being a dick yesterday about that newspaper article," she explained.

"Oh well that's boring," Alya complained. "I guess as your new Publicity Co-ordinator I should deal with this some-"

Marinette froze when Alya stopped talking suddenly.

"Alya?" she whispered, unsure why she was whispering.

"Put your TV on. Now."

From the tone of Alya's voice, Marinette knew it was serious. Her mind flew instantly to 'akuma attack' but when she flipped the TV on and to the news channel, she quickly realised there was no attack.

Adrien could be seen walking with paparazzi following him and evidently harassing him.

"Monsieur Agreste, what did Dupain-Cheng mean about how your father treats models?" she heard one reporter ask.

"Does he abuse you?"

"Is it true that you and Dupain-Cheng are in a relationship?"

"Is it serious?"

Marinette almost dropped her phone. She watched Adrien sigh and turn to face the cameras as he reached his car.

"Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng and I are friends," he clarified. "But she can do far better than the likes of me. Anyone would be lucky to have her. Good day."

He climbed into his car and the reporters were replaced with the newsroom.

"Marinette?" Alya's voice came from her phone. Slowly, she raised it to her ear.

"He said I can do better than him," Marinette mumbled.

"Well you can," Alya said and Marinette knew she was rolling her eyes.

* * *

 **Author's note: I really wish I could remember where I was going with this because I totally want to read it... Damn Past Hannah.**


	3. Fan

The city was calm. Ladybug and Chat Noir sat high above the sleeping residents, admiring the lights. They had paused at the end of their patrol. Neither had meant to stop for so long, but the beauty of their city had caught them both.

"My Lady?" Chat prompted, some time later.

"Yes, Chat?" She looked around at him and smiled.

"I need some advice," he said. Her smile took a more serious turn and he regretted encroaching on the peaceful look she had worn only a moment before.

"Go on."

"How do you deal with your fans?"

Ladybug frowned at that.

"What do you mean? Are people hassling you when you're Chat?"

"No, not as Chat. It's when I don't have the mask on," he mumbled. "None of them are mean per say, but they all seem to be expecting so much of me. Saying stuff like 'I know the next thing you do will be even better' and I just don't know how to deal with their expectations... I don't feel like I can do anything better, just the same…"

Ladybug appeared to want to embrace Chat somehow, but due to the precarious nature of them being perched on top of the Eiffel Tower she seemed to decide against it. She settled for placing a hand over his.

"There isn't much you can do," she admitted. "Just keep trying your best and be honest when it doesn't all go to plan. Admit your failings and any decent people will support you with that."

Chat nodded at her words as he absorbed them.

"But what if they hate me?"

"People always will, but more will appreciate what you are doing," Ladybug said kindly. Chat nodded again. "Can I ask what it is you're doing to have fans outside of the mask?"

Chat was taken aback by the question. His Lady was enquiring about his real life? That was unlike her! But she didn't want to know their identities. He thought back to the massive billboard with his face on they'd passed earlier that evening; he could not say he was a model. But what else did people accumulate fans for?

Ladybug had obviously noticed the worry on his face.

"How about I have three guesses?"

"Okay," he agreed. Easy, now he could just agree to one of them.

She hummed as she thought for ideas.

"Music, do you play some kind of instrument? Or sing? Or something like that?"

"Ha! I wish," Chat said before he could help himself. "I'm awful at piano…" It was a lie, he knew deep down he was a good pianist. But he was not up to the standards required by his father to allow him to actually perform outside of his lessons or the practice room in their mansion.

"Okay," she mumbled, missing his downturned mood. "What about…" she trailed off as she thought for a new ideas. "Drawing! Or painting? Or art?"

Chat was about to argue that fashion was art and that modelling counted as part of that, before remembering that he was not going to give away he was a model. Damn.

"No, I can't draw to save my life!" He forced a chuckle for good measure.

"Okay," Ladybug repeated. Her face was all scrunched up in 'thinking mode'. Chat tried not to get too distracted by how attractive his partner was. "Final guess… Fanfiction! You write fanfiction!"

Chat gaped.

"Am I right? I am, aren't I?"

His Lady looked so pleased with the idea of guessing something correctly that he could not bring himself to say no.

"Yes," he all but mouthed.

* * *

 **Author's note: I'm just gonna leave this here.**


	4. Chloe the Mother

Chloe yawned, pushed through the door to her penthouse apartment and put the baby carrier on the floor. Then she flopped onto the large 'L' shaped sofa and promptly fell asleep.

She awoke ten minutes later to the sound of wailing.

"Eugh! Shut up."

The wailing did not shut up.

Chloe groaned pointedly and was just about to call for Sabina before remembering that Sabina no longer lived with her. Rolling her eyes, Chloe stood up and looked towards the source of the noise.

The baby was in danger of rivalling a fire alarm in terms of volume and annoyance.

"Christian, you are a lot cuter when you shut up."

Christian did not seem bothered but how 'cute' he was. Instead, he balled up his fists and wailed, if possible, even louder.

Chloe groaned again, leant down and picked up her son. She grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table and wipes his tears away.

"There, see, you could still be cute but you've got to stop crying," she insisted. "Your skin is going to go all red and puffy and that is not going to be a good look."

Christian continued to cry.

"What's wrong with you?! Where is that dummy thing…?"

Chloe walked into the beautifully decorated baby's room and located the pack of dummies she had bought while pregnant. Chloe had very much enjoyed shopping for her baby. She had bought absolutely everything that was needed for a baby - and quite a lot of things that certainly was not.

She pressed the dummy to Christian's mouth and sighed in relief when he took it.

Then scowled when he spat it out onto the floor.

"You ungrateful little brat! Now it's dirty!"

She stalked back through to the main living area and returned Christian to his carrier.

"Shut up! I can't even think straight with you wailing like that!"

Chloe ran her hands through her hair - which was greasier than she wanted to admit - and tried to think what she should do. The damn baby would not stop crying and all she wanted was sleep.

"I just gave birth to you, like jeesh, give me a break!"

Adrien.

The name floated into her brain and attached to a few other key words. Namely, 'teacher' and 'children'.

She rummaged through her bag and found her mobile, searched for Adrien's number and hit dial. Adrien picked up in three rings.

"Chloe? Are you okay? How's the baby?" he answered.

"What? How do you know I had him already? I haven't phoned you about it!"

"You tweeted yesterday that you were on the way to the hospital," Adrien pointed out.

Twitter. Of course, why had she not asked her Twitter followers about how to stop Christian crying?

"And I can hear crying in the background," Adrien went on.

"Please come and make him stop! I've tried everything!" Chloe begged.

"It's a boy? Congratulations!"

"Adrien please! I need you!"

Chloe heard him sigh.

"Fine, I'll be over as soon as I can."

Adrien turned up at her door five minutes later. Chloe heard the doorbell despite the fact that she had a pillow over her head to block out Christian's crying.

"Adrien help me," she said as she opened the door.

"Well that's why I'm here," he muttered, walking straight past her and to the baby.

Adrien picked him up and sniffed his bottom.

"What are you doing?"

"Well his nappy doesn't need changing," Adrien concluded. "Have you fed him?"

"What? No? He was fed at breakfast and it's not lunchtime yet," Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

"Are you breastfeeding?"

"What? No! Eww! That's gross! I don't want something attached to my boob!"

Adrien sighed.

"Okay, so do you have any formula? Or milk? Or something?"

"I have formula!" Chloe darted into the baby's room and returned a moment later clutching a tin.

Adrien took it from her, and while still clutching Christian, he managed to make up a bottle of the formula and began feeding the starving baby. Christian sucked at the bottle greedily.

"He was just hungry," Adrien mumbled.

"He could have waited until lunch," Chloe muttered.

"Chloe, babies don't have a concept of lunchtime," Adrien said, evidently refraining from rolling his eyes. "He's either hungry or he's not. And his only way of telling you is by crying."

"But he'll learn to talk soon right?"

"Not that quickly, maybe in like a year or something," Adrien said, shrugging.

"Eugh."

"What's his name, by the way? You didn't mention it."

"Christian," Chloe replied with a grin.

"Christian?"

"As in Christian Dior and Christian Louboutin, of course!"

Adrien sighed.

"Well I suppose he can shorten it to Chris."

"Eww, no. That's so… Common."

* * *

 **Author's note: Yeah I have no idea what I would have written but I wanted to write about motherhood helping Chloe a lot.**


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